Quantum Mechanics A PHY-319 Problems 3

Issue: Tuesday 24
th
January 2012 Hand-in: 16:00 Thursday 2
nd
February 2012
Hand-In questions 1 and 2
Please post your solutions in the box outside the 1
st
floor departmental offices

QUESTION 1.

Last week we modelled the hexatriene molecule as an infinite square well; this time
we will model it as a finite square well 0.6 nm wide and 14 eV deep.
a) Calculate
0
for this potential. Hence calculate the number of bound states
(energy levels) in this well.
b) A graphical solution yields values for Given that these are: 34 . 1
1
= ,
66 . 2
2
= , 95 . 3
3
= and 17 . 5
4
= for the first four levels, calculate the
corresponding energies in eV
c) Suppose that once again the molecule is exposed to electromagnetic radiation of
just the right wavelength to excite an electron from the n = 3 to the n = 4 level.
Calculate this wavelength.
d) By considering the interval over which
n
is found, prove that in the limit
0

we recover the infinite square well energy solutions.

QUESTION 2.

An electron is confined to a 8 wide, 8eV deep, one-dimensional potential well.
a) Calculate the number of electronic bound states for such a well.
b) By using a spreadsheet (or other numerical method) evaluate all allowed
n
values
for such a situation to three significant figures, hence calculate the allowed energies.
Please print out any graphs or other computer output so that we can check your
method!
.

Exercise Class Questions.
1. At 0 = t a particle in one dimension has the wave function shown below.













This can be written as: ( )
x a
Ne x

= 0 ,
or as:
( )
ax
Ne x

= 0 , for 0 x
and
( )
ax
Ne x = 0 , for 0 x

a) By normalising the wave function, ( ) 0 , x , determine N.
b) Evaluate x and
2
x , and hence the uncertainty in position, x .
c) What is the probability of finding the particle in the range x x x + ?

2. Consider a particle confined to a one dimensional finite quantum well, depth
V
0
and width L
.
a) Sketch the potential for such a system.
b) Write down the Schrdinger equation for the classically allowed and
classically forbidden regions.
c) Obtain solutions for the classically allowed and classically forbidden regions.
d) Sketch the first three wavefunctions and probability densities for this potential.

useful "stuff":
( )
2
1
C
Cx e
dx xe
Cx
Cx

=

and
( )

+
=
3
2 2
2
2 2
C
x C Cx e
dx e x
Cx
Cx


m
e
= 9.11x10
-31
kg = 0.511MeV/c
2
h = 1.05x10
-34
Js = 6.58x10
-16
eVs
c = 3x10
8
ms
-1

(x,0)
x
N